[rubeninfl]

Well, the creaking sound coming from the front wasn't an engine mount...so there goes $200 down the drain. So now the mechanic is telling me that it's the struts. From reading some posts it looks like this is a pretty straight forward job if you buy the complete assembly. I'm going to be replacing the two front ones. The best price I've found online so far is from an outfit called hondapartsnow.com. Has anyone ever ordered from there? the assemblies were 198 each from majestic. This place lists them for 177 each. With shipping and handling it's $355 for both. Sounds good if this place is legit. My mechanic wanted to pay $275 each at the dealership!

So other than this place being legit. Is this a fairly easy job?

Thanks

 

[snowdreams1080]

Its pretty easy. Use tie rod puller to make things easier. Three bolts on top, two below, tie rod pulled. remove abs and brake lines. support rotor with something, remove and install.

 

[dcarvil]

Yes, hondapartsnow.com is legit. You'll find them frequently mentioned in these forums. I don't recall any legitimate complaints about them.

 

[Funktional]

It's too bad you're not interested in purchasing the stand alone struts, much cheaper and a manual spring compressor kit wouldn't cost more than $40 at an auto parts store. I purchased my set about 10 years ago and have used them to replace quite a few struts on my own vehicles as well as friend's and family's vehicles. At Advance Auto Parts you can get a complete set (all 4) of Monroe Sensa Trac struts with a limited lifetime warranty for just over $300 with their 20% off coupon.

 

[rubeninfl]

It's too bad you're not interested in purchasing the stand alone struts, much cheaper and a manual spring compressor kit wouldn't cost more than $40 at an auto parts store. I purchased my set about 10 years ago and have used them to replace quite a few struts on my own vehicles as well as friend's and family's vehicles. At Advance Auto Parts you can get a complete set (all 4) of Monroe Sensa Trac struts with a limited lifetime warranty for just over $300 with their 20% off coupon.

Well, money has gotten tighter since I originally posted. I haven't been able to replace them yet. Can you tell me about replacing just the stand-alone struts? This is for the front. How much cheaper would this be.....how dangerous? I've never used a spring compressor or seen one.

 

[snowdreams1080]

depends on how handy with tools you are. You basically use the spring compressor to grab a coil on your spring at each and and crank a bolt to draw the spring closed. takes some work. then remove the top nut and remove the strut and replace. then loosen the compressor and done. if you can have the struts handy...take the units out of the vehicle and the new struts along to a nice friendly mechanic. They won't charge you much for them to use their nice fancy hydraulic compressor to quickly swap the struts then go back to your vehicle and reinstall the strut into it.

 

[bigsmokes]

do not use a spring compresor kit if you have not used one before,,,there is alot of tentsion on it and it can be danger...i have a good friend with only 9 fingers,,,wanna guess how he lost finger #10??????

 

[rubeninfl]

depends on how handy with tools you are. You basically use the spring compressor to grab a coil on your spring at each and and crank a bolt to draw the spring closed. takes some work. then remove the top nut and remove the strut and replace. then loosen the compressor and done. if you can have the struts handy...take the units out of the vehicle and the new struts along to a nice friendly mechanic. They won't charge you much for them to use their nice fancy hydraulic compressor to quickly swap the struts then go back to your vehicle and reinstall the strut into it.

You know, that doesn't sound too bad.....it's the compressing that I'm a bit worried about. I've heard a horror story. Maybe a mechanic compressing it for me would be a bad idea. Can anyone help me find the part numbers and a good place to order from? or would that be something I can walk into an auto part and get?

 

[Gilboy]

Yes

You know, that doesn't sound too bad.....it's the compressing that I'm a bit worried about. I've heard a horror story. Maybe a mechanic compressing it for me would be a bad idea. Can anyone help me find the part numbers and a good place to order from? or would that be something I can walk into an auto part and get?

Yes, any parts store should have or can get overnight the struts. most will have a sprig compressor they will loan you too.

 

[rubeninfl]

Well, I went ahead and ordered just the struts instead of the entire assemblies. I called Pep Boys and they charge $20 per strut to switch the spring and everything else over from the old strut if I just bring them in to the store. They guy from Pep boys said "remember to bring strut mounts". That got me to thinking....do I need new strut mounts? My E has 118k. It's making the really bad creaking sound when I accelerate from a dead stop, and when I go over bumpy roads it sounds like the struts are coming apart. This probably would have all been taking care of with the complete assemblies, but I was trying to save a little coin.

Any input on the strut mounts? shouldn't I just be able to use the ones I have now? How would I know if the ones I have are no good?

 

[rubeninfl]

Well, I got the Monroe Struts. I was going to do it myself, but a friend of a friend who claimed to have changed these before offered to change them for $100 so I let him do it. Well.....I'm thinking it may not have been a good idea. He replaced them....I saw him do it, but I swear my car is worse. For starters...the creaking sound when the car first starts moving forward is just as bad if not worse. So it wasn't the struts either. But now, all the bumps on the road feel worse. everything seems to make multiple sounds now...it's hare to explain but what should sound like a semi quiet "Thud" sounds lie "thud, thud, thud, thud" it's like the thud has an echo....very strange. I'm wondering if he didn't assemble the struts correctly....I don't know...it did kinda look like he put them back together rather quickly not really looking to see where the end of the spring was sitting. He also did something to my steering wheel. Well, not the steering wheel, but when my car goes straight down the street, my steering wheel is actually turned towards the left. Now I probably have to go to the dealership to have them see if they were assembled correctly....as well as still trying to figure out the creaking

 

[nikwashere]

Was it the stabalizer end links?
Did you fix the friends mistakes?